Strive
by xMaxine10x
Summary: Love is inevitable, even when surrounded by flesh eating beasts. (Other characters from the actual show appear in later chapters)
1. Strive - Chapter 1

He was tall, muscular, and handsome. His dark brown hair was messy any time of the day. All of the girls swooned when he walked passed them, but he never felt comfortable with any girl that loved him only for his well put together face. He knew Catherine, the bravest of the group, the one willing to shoot just about anyone in the head if they were bit. "If they're bit, they're already dead..." she would say.

He liked that about her, she was kind of... emotionless at this point. He had seen her laugh, he had seen her yelling in anger, but yet had he seen her cry. In fact, no one in the group had seen her cry. Not since she had to kill her own parents when they were bit. Never had she seen a more horrific sight, and she never will. Nothing affected her anymore, she killed her best friend two weeks ago without hesitating to pull the trigger on the freshly turned walker. "It's not her anymore..." she said that right before pulling the trigger. After that, she slowly lowered the pistol and stared at the dead body, disgust was the only emotion she presented.

That's why he liked her, she was like a rock in most situations, yet so full of personality. Oh, but his name? "H-hey Catherine." He spoke hesitantly to Catherine "yeah?" Her voice sounded uninterested. "Do you maybe... wanna go see if we can find anything useful up at the town tomorrow?" Catherine raised an eyebrow "you mean, like some kind of weird apocalypse date?" She picked up her rifle and began wiping down the outside with a towel "y-yeah, I guess..." Catherine nodded "yeah, sure." He widened his eyes "r-really?" Catherine looked up from her rifle "yeah, now get out of my tent before I change my mind, K." He realized too late that he was indeed in Catherine's tent, somewhere no one went unless it was serious.

K quickly walked back to his tent to get some extra sleep before tomorrow, since the moon was already mid-point.


	2. Strive - Chapter 2

The sun slowly rose above the trees of the dense forest in the cool November morning. Catherine was either awake first or last, but this morning she woke up quite early. She was up carving more arrows for her crossbow, the most effective weapon in their situation. The ammunition was usually reusable, it was an accurate weapon, and more importantly, it was quiet. Loud noises alert walkers immediately of your whereabouts. Catherine's hands started to cramp up after she made a third arrow so she left her supplies in her tent and left a note saying 'I'm going to scout out the area and take down any walkers near the camp.' On the outside of her tent. Taking nothing but a couple of long knives and a pistol with two extra clips, she left the camp.

K woke up almost immediately after Catherine left, he stretched and yawned and crawled out of his tent and was blinded by the morning Sun. Curious, he looked to Catherine's tent, the thirteen year old had left a note. He sat back down in his tent in shock. Thirteen? She was so mature he forgot how young she was, and he was sixteen, almost seventeen. His mom wouldn't allow it, but she wasn't there anymore. Catherine agreed to date him so he shouldn't worry, but K didn't know what the rest of the group would think if they found out.

K stepped out of his tent and shielded his eyes from the sun, a sudden strong smell of rotten flesh filled the air and he heard a growling behind him. Quickly, he turned and was tackled by a half rotted corpse. K began pushing it back by it's shoulders, but it wouldn't budge. It snapped at K's face, spitting and dripping blood on him. "H-help!" Only moments after, an arrow impaled the walker's skull and it went limp. K, terrified, crawled out from under it and looked up at Catherine, who was standing a good twenty to twenty five feet away. "I've saved your stupid ass too many times..." she growled as she lowered her crossbow and approached the corpse. A few other members of the group crawled out of their tents and rushed to the scene. One was a young blonde girl that was afraid of her own shadow and hated getting dirty. Another was a tall black man with long dreads named T.

T began to drag the body away with a frustrated look. More and more walkers were finding their way into the camp. It wasn't safe anymore. T and Catherine both knew that they would have to move on soon.


	3. Strive - Chapter 3

Catherine followed T to a cliff where they throw the bodies, so they pile up there instead of in the camp. Catherine turned back to face the blonde girl, her hair gently blowing in the breeze, her eyes a pale pretty blue. No one here liked her... Catherine pointed her crossbow at her. She smirked as the blonde screamed and fell on her rear. Catherine could do it too, an arrow straight through her stupid little face.

"Whoa man! What are you thinkin'!?" Catherine gritted her teeth, insanity in her eyes, her face turning pale. Her finger twitched in front of the trigger. The blonde started crying, sobbing loudly and calling for help. That's what woke up the rest of the group. A mother, a son, a father, and a teenage boy found out in the woods west of the camp. The mother, short, chubby, and white, covered her son's eyes at the sight of the possible horror. "What's happening, mom?" The young boy, skinny from lack of food, pushed her hand away and pushed his long bangs out of the way of his eyes. The father was clearly annoyed and he especially didn't like the blonde. "She's going to attract them! Just shoot her!" The father shouted.

The blonde girl was not important to anyone. "Stand up!" Catherine growled "W-what?".

"Did I fucking stutter?!" The blonde raised her hands up and slowly stood up. Her pants were covered in dirt and leaves "now turn around." The girl did as she was told. Catherine took her crossbow and jabbed it in her back "now walk." She walked forward until they both disappeared behind a few large trees. The group heard a loud yell and whistle, the kind that would be used to get the attention of the dead that lived.

The group heard the blonde screaming a blood curdling scream and they heard stomach churning flesh ripping. After an abrupt ending, Catherine stumbled out of the bushes and back into view. She had blood splattered across her chest "she won't cause anymore trouble," she giggled. The father, John was his name, patted her on the back and complimented on how well she was taking care of the group.

Catherine snuck off while the group, even the young boy, named Jonathan, was boasting of the event. Survival of the fittest. She stepped into her tent and grabbed a few extra arrows, the one she shot into the blonde twat had broken in half when she tried to pull it out. Before she left her tent she thought back to the walker that had almost gotten K. It scared her so much to think of her shooting his undead corpse. She shook the thought and went to find K so they could scavenge the nearby town together.

K was chatting with T where the fire would be at night. "Yo, K, we should probably head to the town. There tend to be more walkers later into the afternoon." It would take at least an hour to get there and that's why K asked. He knew he would get to spend some extra time with her if they were together for such a prolonged amount of time. K stood from the soft dirt ground, wiped himself off, and started to follow Catherine to the town.


	4. Strive - Chapter 4

About halfway to the town, Catherine finally broke the awkward silence between her and K "so... what's the ACTUAL reason you wanted to go to the town with me?" K's cheeks turned a bit red and his chest tightened "W-well, I-I kinda wanted to get to know you b-better?" Catherine raised a brow "I-I mean, no one really knows you th-that well, s-so I was hoping we could t-talk a bit!" He darted his eyes away and rubbed the back of his neck. Catherine muffled a laugh "hehe! You stutter a lot when you're nervous!" She smiled, not very widely, but it was a smile nonetheless. K laughed nervously "yeah... I uh, I guess I do.".

Catherine blushed a bit herself, getting too close to anyone in an apocalyptic situation had its pros and cons. If something bad happened, you could grow weak and not do what you should to someone who's been bit, but if you're in trouble, they could save you. Catherine didn't need much saving too often though. As she thought deeper on this, she blurted out "I remember when my Mom would teach me how to bake and cook, she would teach me about guns and tell me stories of my Nana..." K noticed her slow fade from happy to sadness.

K was never too good at comforting but they reached the town soon after "hey... wait here!" He said as he darted off, leaving Catherine confused "Hey! What the Hell, dude?!" She sighed angrily and leaned against a tree. She looked at the town, in view were three buildings. They all held some deep memories for Catherine. The pawn shop was where her and her mother would sell random antiques they found at the thrift store on the other side of town, where her mother worked. Her mother would sometimes take her to the book store next door to buy her new manga and the last store was the gun shop. While her parents were at work, she would sneak out of the apartment building and go there to look at the cross bows.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw K running back with some kind of picture frame in his hand. "What was that for!?" She growled. K handed her the picture frame and her eyes began to water. She hadn't cried since she shot her parents but, she couldn't hold back her tears this time. The picture was of her and her mother in front of their bakery they had opened just a year before the apocalypse. The building behind them said 'Grand Opening!'.

"I saw it behind the counter of the bakery and thought you might want it..." he smiled awkwardly. Catherine let her hair hang in front of her face to try and block the tears, but she couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around K without warning "thank you, thank you so much! But, how did you know this was there?" K was too distracted by her hug to answer. For a merciless killer, she was pretty warm. "K?" He shook his head out of his daydream "I-I was out here with T and I f-found the picture, b-but there were a ton of walkers heading our way. I couldn't get to the picture in time." Catherine released K and hid her blushing, crying face with her hair.

"Let's go search through the pharmacy, for some... things..." K followed Catherine's lead and when they entered, K tossed her a backpack and went searching for some other medicine. Catherine shyly went to the 'feminine care' section and quickly shoved a bunch of packages of pads into the backpack. "I hate being female sometimes..." she mumbled to herself. As she browsed the painkillers, she dumped about ten bottles each of Ibuprofen and Advil into her backpack. She was prone to agonizing headaches.


	5. Strive - Chapter 5

The afternoon approached quickly, but the walkers that were scheduled to be there, weren't showing up. They had been at the town for a couple hours now, just wandering. Whenever they got near Catherine's old apartment though, she would turn the opposite direction. K was enjoying talking with Catherine, they seemed to get along well. In front of an old ice cream shop was a wooden bench and without a second thought, Catherine plopped herself onto it. K sat next to her to rest his tired legs. As Catherine moved her backpack to the ground, the pills rattled in their bottles "hey, what did you pick up at the pharmacy?" K asked, frowning "just some girl stuff..." she lied.

K snatched the backpack and unzipped it "Catherine, I thought you said you would stop taking all of these pills!" Catherine shook "I-I try! I don't take as many as I took before though!" K saw the worry in her eyes. She didn't want to be shunned for her small addiction. "I-I swear I don't take an excessive amount! I just took that many bottles because I don't know when we'll be able to get more...!" Catherine blushed a deep red and looked down at the ground.

K sighed and set the backpack next to her feet. Minutes felt like hours when Catherine didn't look at K. She was too embarrassed. K wanted to clear this up "hey, I'm not judging you for taking more pills than the average person might..." he placed a hand on her back while she turned and hugged him tightly. "It's nice to have someone like you around, caring for others." K hugged her back, but Catherine released him and did what first came to mind. She straddled him on the bench and before she could do it, K kissed her passionately. Catherine got lost in his love.

Before anything could go too far, the engine of a car was approaching from around the corner. Catherine pulled away, panting, and stood up. She grabbed her backpack and K's hand and she pulled him into the ice cream shop behind them. "Someone's coming! Hide!" She whispered. They ducked behind the counter as the car slowly rolled by. It turned another corner and as it did, Catherine and K dashed for the woods and made their way back to the camp successfully.


	6. Strive - Chapter 6

Catherine collapsed into her sleeping bag in her tent and curled up with a small pink pillow. She was so tired, yet it was only about two o'clock. She sighed and crawled back out of her tent "I might as well hang out with K while I can." She mumbled to herself. He was sitting with T around the unlit fire pit again. Catherine plopped down next to him, shoulder to shoulder and blushing lightly. It was silent besides the chirping of birds and occasional rustle of a squirrel in the leaves. "Hey, Catherine?" Catherine looked up at T "yeah?".

"What did you two find at the town? Anything helpful?" Catherine nodded "we're heading back later tonight to get some canned food that I saw in the back of one of the shops." She looked to her watch "let's head out at around nine," K agreed. After a few minutes, Catherine had found K to be very comfortable and drifted off to sleep.

The hours passed quickly and when Catherine finally slowly woke up, she found herself back in her tent. She saw her watch read eight forty five. She figured it would be plenty of time to wake up. Lazily she got up and tripped over herself and stumbled as she emerged from her tent. "Good evening, sleepyhead!" Catherine blinked. "Oh... hey Mary." she sent a quick glare to the rosary the mother wore twenty-four/seven. Luckily, Mary didn't see it. K had a not taped to his tent which read 'I'm scouting out the surrounding area, it was my turn tonight. Be back by nine at the latest' Catherine sighed, she had hoped to leave earlier. She had a plan.

Catherine scanned the perimeter of the camp and towards the back she saw K push away a shrub and enter, he was carrying his machete and had a bit of blood splattered on his jeans. His expression though, was far off from neutral. He looked a bit concerned mixed with sadness. Catherine raised a brow and went to see what had happened "H-hey, you feelin' okay?" She looked him up and down for bites or scratches, but luckily there was nothing. "I was... just thinking." Catherine sighed and went to go speak to John, maybe he could teach her some things about fishing.

K looked to his machete, they weren't people anymore but it still got to him sometimes. He wished he could be like Catherine sometimes, understanding that they weren't people anymore. Just zombies, walking without a soul or thought. He had just killed one with a baby bump. What kind of feeling must that be? Being bitten and knowing that your unborn child will die with you and you can't do anything about it? He tried to shake the thought, but it hung around for a while. He searched the camp for Catherine, he found her sitting with John. He was probably teaching her about fishing.

K didn't leave his spot though, he leaned against a tree until Catherine approached him and said that it was time to scavenge the town again. He smiled and followed her again through the deep dark forest. This time they were equipped with torches (flashlights). Catherine smirked and slowly curved their route without K realizing. They broke from the trees in front of a huge prison "He-hey." K whispered "where are we exactly?" Catherine smiled "where our food supply will come from..." she stared up at the crumbled brick that crashed over the fence and formed a travel safe path.

She started climbing over it and K followed nervously.


	7. Strive - Chapter 7

They entered the prison through a huge gaping hole in the wall and made their way through twisting halls. Catherine could tell they were close because of the other voices she could here. "K." She whispered "I need you to stay here. If anyone comes near then hide in that closet behind the shelves. If I don't come back within twenty minutes or so, I want you to run and alert the others. Have them come back with you." She slowly walked forward "and the same if you here me scream, don't be a hero..." K nodded to her and stood back near the closet door. He didn't know what he was getting himself into.

Catherine took her time to make sure she was silent as she stepped through the empty stone halls of the prison. The voices got louder "dad, you know I can take care of myself!" A young boy whined while an older voice answered "Carl, you can't patrol the gates at night simply because I don't want you to get hurt. It's just a father's instinct." Catherine could practically hear him pout as she waited for the gate to open and close loudly with a metal clang. They leave their supplies locked in a separate room from where they sleep. She couldn't recall the most important piece of information though, and that was if there was a guard or not and where he/she was staged.

All she had to do was pick the lock and she was in. Using her lock picking tools that her mother had given her, she fumbled with the lock for almost thirty seconds until the door finally popped open. She pushed it slowly and entered the room, full of food, weapons, and water. All she cared about though was food and water for her group. Catherine started taking cans of food and placing them quietly into her backpack. So far so good, she thought. She smiled, thinking that she would get away with this.

Catherine let out a short shriek of panic as she was grabbed from behind and held in a way that definitely did not allow her to use her arms in any way. The backpack was dropped to the floor and cans rolled out of it. "Shut up, you stupid fuckin' thief!" The male's voice growled as he pulled the crossbow from the makeshift holster on her back and forced her wrists and ankles into zip ties then left her on the cold floor. The door from the other side of the room was opened frantically by a man in an officer's uniform "Daryll, what happened?!" He saw the young girl who was far easier to capture than she wanted to be glaring straight at the ground. "Little shit was tryin' to steal our food." He growled.

A young boy, who she assumed to be Carl, came out from behind the officer "Daryll, behind you!" He spun around and aimed a crossbow at a pale skinned dark brown haired boy "K! I told you to run if you heard me scream!" Catherine blurted angrily. K glared at Daryll and dropped his machete to the ground and kicked it away. He raised his hands up in a well known defeat "heh, I didn't even have to tell you to drop the blade." K gritted his teeth at the sight if Catherine bound "just don't hurt her..." The officer sighed deeply "pardon?" K looked up from the ground "please, don't hurt her!" He had true worry in his eyes. His heartbeat rose in panic.

Carl looked worriedly at Catherine, then to his father "dad." He whispered "we can't hurt her, she is just a kid and he looks really worried about her." He looked down to his son "Well, I can't promise anyone anything right now. Daryll, tie him up and we'll get back to this in the morning." Daryll did as he was told and shoved the two into the corner.


	8. Strive - Chapter 8

K sighed "I'm sorry, I didn't want to run because if I could have prevented something and I was worried about my own life, I couldn't bare the guilt." Catherine placed her head on his shoulder and he laid his head on hers. Catherine sighed "this shit shouldn't have happened... Jonathan was getting sick and we couldn't find any food at the town... It was my last resort..." It was reaching midnight and neither one of them had fallen asleep.

Daryll stood opposite from them, listening but not looking. He glances to them occasionally. He could only assume they were siblings but K was far too pale compared to the girl's darker tanned Native skin. He didn't contemplate it for long. The morning approached slowly and as it did, members of the group woke up. Catherine heard them mumbling about them and she saw more of them. A young blonde, an older lady with short grey hair, and an old man with a beard was all she could see from her uncomfortable spot on the floor. K looked at the wall to the left, avoiding any eye contact with anyone.

The old bearded man approached them "now, what do we have here? You mind tellin' us you're names?" Catherine looked up at the old man "I-I'm Catherine... and this is K... I don't think he's gonna talk much though..." she wiggled to sit up straight against the wall and her eyes held a horrified look that the rest of her face did not express. "Well, miss Catherine, I'm afraid we can't afford to let you go right now." Catherine's mind raced with possibilities "p-pardon?" The old man crouched down to her height "The group has decided to put me in charge of you two, so I've decided to keep you for a little while. Maybe interrogate you both a bit, see if anyone turns up lookin' for ya that may be less than civilized." Catherine nodded in a semi-forced agreement as she was stood up along with K. The bounds along their feet were cut and they followed the old man to an empty cell with a few chairs. "I'm Hershel. Have a seat." He gestured for the chairs and they followed his command.

Around 9 other people gathered outside the door of bars as they watched them like a circus show. "K, I'd like to talk to you first." He nodded "I'll answer anything I have to." He said, determined. "That's fantastic! Now, do you have a group?" He nodded once "yes, us two along with a young boy, his parents, and another man we rescued from a large horde." Hershel scribbled this down onto a nearby piece of paper attached to a clipboard. "And who stands as the leader of the group?" This is where he hesitated to answer. "Catherine." He said firmly "she may be young but every decision she makes keeps us all alive." Hershel looked shocked as he realized how serious K was about his answer.

"I see..." he recorded his answer. "I suppose I have some new questions for Catherine then." Hershel looked to the young girl "if you make the decisions, then what made you decide to try and rob us?" Catherine nervously shook, a bad tendency she had often. "Our second youngest, Jonathan, was getting sick, but the only known town nearby had already been scavenged. I just wanted him to live and I was getting desperate..." Hershel frowned as he recorded her answer. He looked to the officer "Rick," he said "maybe we should have them escort us to their camp?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and painfully agreed "yeah, just keep 'em in those zip ties."

A young Asian man speaks up "but what if they have an ambush ready...?" Hershel stood up and left the two in the room alone "that's why we're keeping them locked up here until we're sure they don't have anyone coming for them." Catherine scoffed "I'm sure after a while they would come looking for us, but they have no reason to attack." Rick cut the zip ties around their wrists and quickly locked them in the cell. Catherine rubbed her wrists "thanks, I guess...".


	9. Strive - Chapter 9

A few minutes later the same Asian man came back and stared at them for a few moments "how did you guys even get in?" He asked "we have men patrolling the fences outside." Catherine had to hold back a loud outburst of laughter. She placed a hand on her hip "there's an entire wall blown out of the prison in the next block over!" She waited for his shocked expression "wait, you're not kidding are you?" She shook her head "an entire wall, gone. Next cell block over. I'm sure that's why you have so many walkers getting in here all the time." He covered his face "oh my God.".

Catherine frowned behind her short dark brown hair, cut asymmetrically. The man sighed "...I'm Glenn." He stuck his hand through the bars of the door for her to shake it. She hesitated, but after a few awkward seconds of her trust issues, she took his hand in a firm handshake "an honour..." she mumbled sarcastically. K sat on the bed behind Catherine, steaming with unreasonable jealousy. He looked away until Glenn left, then Catherine sat next to him and grabbed K in a tight hug "they aren't going to kill us, are they...?" K could feel her shaking and began to comfort her by hugging her back.

"... I can't promise anything..." she refused to shed a single tear. Her family was the only thing that might push her over the edge and make her cry. K placed his hand on the back of her head, holding her gently as she curled into the fetal position. Daryl stood outside of their cell, keeping an eye on them as someone else stayed with the supplies. The day passed just as slowly as the night. It was afternoon and surprisingly, they weren't executed yet. "Hey, Catherine, right?" She jumped back from K and sat up straight. Daryl was looking into the cell. Catherine nodded.

"Well, I wanted to mention, nice choice of weaponry." Catherine acknowledged that he also carried a crossbow. "Silent, quick, accurate, and reusable ammunition." She explained "like a gun, but better in an apocalyptic situation." He nodded and flashed a smirk. "I like the way you think. You remind me of when I was a kid, a delinquent." Catherine felt her cheeks grow warmer. Then she realized, she had been doing nothing but getting on everyone's good side. Maybe they would get out of this alive.

Daryl went to turn away but Catherine blurted "Wait! I know how to keep the walkers away!" He paused and turned back to face her "you better not be lyin'." She shook her head "I've been conducting multiple experiments, and according to my research if you remove both arms and their lower mandible they become totally docile." Daryl's eyes widen, both impressed and shocked. "Hey, Rick! Ya gotta here what this kid's gotta say." The officer, Rick, jogged his way down to their cell. "I thought we were gonna keep this to ourselves?" Catherine shushed K and explained to Rick "when they loose all of their known abilities to attack, they slowly 'learn' that they can't do anything anymore, and lose all interest in attacking." Rick raised his brows.

"And just how do you know this?" Catherine rubbed the back of her neck and laughed "trial and error, my friend." He unlocked the cell. "W-what are you doing?" She asked, quite confused. Rick motioned for them to follow "the both of you, let's go." They stood up hesitantly "as long as you keep your hands visible and don't do anything stupid, we won't have any trouble. Now follow me." K looked to Catherine nervously and she shrugged.

Rick led them outside, where at least ten walkers wandered. "Now, what does this have to do with keepin' 'em away?" Daryl took a stance next to her "well," she begins "if you attach a leash for example, to two or more of them and take them wherever you go, their scent masks yours and other walkers ignore you." Rick handed her a long machete "I'm trusting you, this better work." She happily took the blade "you've put your trust in the right person." .


	10. Strive - Chapter 10

Catherine spotted one perfect specimen to prove her right. It was tall, male, and seemed to be missing one arm already. It was also a ways away from the other walkers. "Heh," she bravely approached it and poked him in the back with the machete. It groaned, turned, and shuffled towards her slowly. She smiled "come on, big boy. Cooperate now! I don't need any more trouble right now." Daryl leaned towards Rick "is she... talking to it?" Rick nodded his head and they both looked at each other, confused. K butted in "eh, this is normal for her." Rick and Daryl laughed.

Catherine waved the machete back and forth, creating suspense until she finally hacked it's remaining arm from it's body "eww..." she frowned at the liquid dripping from it's shoulder that looked more like an unknown black sludge rather than blood. She swept her feet under the walker's feet, knocking it onto the ground and knelt on it's chest, pinning it down with her weight. She slipped the blade in between it's chomping jaws and turned it, blade facing her. She forcefully pulled it down towards herself, causing an awful tearing sound and its jaw detached. "Ya'll got a rope or somethin'?" She stood up off of its body and naturally, it still tried to attack her, but it had no way of doing so.

Rick tossed her one of those poles used to catch dogs with the rope on the end of it and she slipped it around the walker's neck. Catherine pulled it to its feet and it lunged at her, instead of groans it emitted an unsettling gurgling. "Nice one, Catherine." K complimented from behind Rick. "I think I'll name you Jack, 'cause you surely like to rip." She giggled to herself as she struggled to keep Jack under control. "We should move back inside before we attract attention." Catherine and K followed Rick's orders and followed him and Daryl back inside.

By the time they got back to the cells, the walker had calmed down quite a bit and stopped lunging. As they entered the cell block, people definitely noticed. Multiple pulled guns on it until Rick shouted for them to calm down. "Catherine is apparently some sort of scientist and studies these things..." Rick explained "disabling them causes them to become docile or something." Catherine smirked and nodded as she held Jack firmly in place. He looked around almost curiously. The woman with short grey hair widened her eyes "that's amazing!" She slowly approached him and stood only a couple feet from him. The walker did not react and only continued to look at its surroundings.

Hershel also grew curious of the matter "how does that even work?" Catherine smiled "Jack here, along with every other walker, has only the need to feed. When they can't feed anymore, they're just there. They have nothing to do anymore so they become safe enough for kids to play with. Not that I would recommend any child to play with this..." she chuckled nervously. Glenn laughed "you named this thing?" Catherine shrugged "why not?".

"Good point."


	11. Strive - Chapter 11

Rick hesitantly took the walker from Catherine and walked it out of sight. Daryl poked his crossbow into Catherine's back "alright, alright! We're walking!" He escorted them back into their pathetic cage. "Hey K, when do you think we'll get out of here...?" She sighed as he remained silent. "Mary must be so worried by now, we said that we would be back that night..." K plopped down onto the bottom bunk and stared at the ground "I'm sure we'll get to see them again soon... if they're still alive." Catherine jumped at the thought. "Don't say that, K! I'm sure they'll be fine on their own! Remember, they have T, he's a strong fighter...".

Daryl was called away from the cell by a male voice and K pulled Catherine onto his lap almost immediately. She giggled as he hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and watched as he laughed and smiled brightly. Amazing what humans can do for each other. Together, they were strong. Apart, they were lonely and hopeless. Catherine intertwined her fingers with his and kissed him. "I know we can get through this, we'll get out of here alive.".

That's when the door of their cell was opened by Glenn. "Hey, uhh, Rick says you're aloud to leave the cell if you want." Catherine quickly hops off of K's lap before Glenn notices "are you being serious?" He nods. "The entire group seems to really wanna give you two a chance, especially Daryl." Catherine couldn't believe it, they were being accepted by people they tried to steal from less than a day ago. "We're also having lunch outside if you wanted to join." He smiled nervously. Catherine looked back to K "why not?" She smiled. K had to go with her, he knew how loyal she was, but that didn't stop his paranoia.

Outside they saw the whole group sat around a fire, laughing, smiling, enjoying themselves. Catherine slowed behind K and shyly hid behind him. She was horrible at getting to know people. Especially when she didn't know if they actually liked or hated her. The sun was hidden behind grey clouds, which was probably a sign it was going to rain soon. Glenn sat down with the rest of them and motioned for them to join them. They awkwardly sat down in the grass. Things grew slightly quieter when they saw them. A black man finally spoke up "so you say you're the leader of your group?" Catherine answered quietly "that's what they call me..." she smiled lightly.

The older woman with short grey hair also spoke up "so, how old are you anyway? Fifteen?" Catherine blushed. "Thirteen." She answered. Her eyes widen "you look so much older!" Catherine laughed nervously "I get that a lot." A bowl of baked beans was passed to her by Glenn. "Wait, why are you giving me this? Aren't I a criminal or something?" He laughed "just take it." Catherine hesitantly took the bowl and began eating. She had yet to speak up about the pregnant woman sitting across from her. Carl set down his own bowl next to him "what was your life like before 'this' happened?".

"Hey, don't ask things like that!" His father interrupted. "S-sorry." Catherine placed her bowl down "no, it's okay. It was a boring life honestly. We were poor, my father was an abusive drunk, and my mother was loving and caring. She worked so my father was the one who raised me." Daryl seemed interested so she continued "my mother opened a bakery about a year before this all started and we were finally getting enough money to support us all. My father's anger worsened as time went on and after this happened. They both ended up getting bitten and I had to kill them. Though, it feels surreal saying it now.".


	12. Strive - Chapter 12

Daryl knew how Catherine felt, having an abusive father himself. "I can relate, kid." He casually went back to eating, along with Catherine. "You never told me Shaun was abusive..." K looked worryingly at her "because I didn't want you to give me that sad pity look you're giving me now." She glared. "He hadn't hit me very hard though. He mostly insulted, and broke me mentally. He would throw empty cigarette boxes at me too." Carl frowned "I'm sorry I brought that up then..." Catherine laughed "it doesn't matter, that was all in the past. I don't have to worry about him anymore, but I get this small aching feeling in the back if my mind that I do miss him...".

Catherine cleared her throat and went back to eating. Everything seemed to go awkwardly sad. "Well, what about you, K? What did you do?" Catherine smirked. His cheeks turned a light pink and he hesitated to speak "i-it wasn't anything too important..." he elbows Catherine in the side and she laughs. Then a few drops of water hit Catherine's nose and cheeks. A woman with short brown hair that she heard Glenn call Maggie jokingly said "you two make an adorable couple!" And laughed.

They both blushed brightly and very visibly. Catherine laughed nervously and tried to ignore the attention brought to her. Rick luckily stood up with something to say to the group "I wanna say... I've done things that I did not want to do for the greater good." Catherine could tell this little speech of his would turn around and start speaking of her. "I've stolen from people for myself... for my son... for the rest of the group... I think it's only fair that we treat Catherine just like we treat each other here..." Catherine raised a brow. "So... ya just gonna keep me here or do I get to return to my group." Rick nodded "you can return to your group.".

K smiled widely along with Catherine. "But..." Rick says "if... something happened to your group you have permission to come back." Catherine stood up and wiped her pants of grass blades. "If that is the case... we'll both pull our own weight around here." K stood up along with her "T-Dog, go ahead and escort them out." The black man stood up and waved for them to follow.


	13. Strive - Chapter 13

T-Dog gathered their things together and sent them off on their own. From the front of the prison they made their way back to the group through the darkened forest and finally made it back, but what she was seeing, she thought wasn't real. Blood spread around the tattered tents and the putrid smell was all too familiar. Catherine dropped her back pack and crossbow from her shoulders and dropped onto her knees in the red stained dirt at the edge of her camp. Her heart beat quickly as she saw the lifeless corpse of T and next to him, a dead Jonathan. She was too late to protect her group. It was her fault, wasn't it?

Her irresponsible and childish mind pushed her to steal from another group, and in a night and half a day, they were gone. But this wasn't any ordinary walker attack, no, this was the work of the living. They all had bullet holes in their foreheads, so they wouldn't turn.

K was even worse, he thought he was stronger but he broke down in tears next to Catherine. She pulled him into a warm embrace. She couldn't cry, she really couldn't. Perhaps it was her state of shock? She didn't ponder long as she tore herself from K and stood straight up. Her eyes surveyed the area until she found the trail they used, broken branches, trampled leaves and shrubs. Catherine took her crossbow and began running in the direction the killers went. K chased after her and before she could make it into the forest he stopped her "it's not worth it, Catherine! Don't go killing yourself over this!" She squirmed, kicked, and even tried to bite at K "no. No. No! NO! Let me go!" Catherine broke from K's grasp and fell forward, panting heavily.

"It's my fault, I know it is. I could've been there, K! I could've been there!" She dug her nails into the ground "it's not your fau-" Catherine swung at him as he reached for her "don't tell me what I have and have not done! I KNEW what consequences I would have to suffer if I went to steal from them! This situation was one of them! I knew it but I went anyway, just to try and feed some kid!" She felt her eyes watering and her tense muscles collapsing. She fell against K and grasped his shirt tightly. "I'm... so sorry...!".

K and Catherine gathered up what very few supplies was left, a bit of food, ammunition, the rifle she buried under her tent in a box, and... wait... where was it?! She couldn't find the picture of her and her mother at the bakery. She pulled things frantically from her backpack but couldn't find it. She hoped and prayed it was back at the Prison, but hoping and praying didn't seem to get you much anymore. She exited what was left of her tent and swung her backpack over her shoulder. K did the same and nodded. They left the camp without looking back and hesitantly made their way back to the Prison.


	14. Strive - Chapter 14

Catherine and K approached the Prison and the gate was pulled open for them. Walker stragglers were immediately killed by Catherine and K, they took their blades to their heads and sliced them in half brutally. Catherine met Carl awkwardly inside the fences with a grass field stretching behind him to the Prison. "I'll tell my dad you're back..." Catherine nodded and stared at the ground. She stayed where she was with K who had his hand placed on her shoulder.

Rick thanked his son and ruffled his hair. He thought he would be greeted by Catherine's bright smile but when he saw her grave displeased look, he broke into a quick jog to meet her. K stepped in front of her as Rick approached and began talking in a hushed voice "we got back and... everyone was dead... most weren't even bit," Rick sighed deeply "are you serious...?" K nodded. I wouldn't kid around about this, she's devastated. She thinks it's all her fault..." K's eyes were still red from crying and his voice was gruff, unlike how it normally is in his usual charming facade.

Rick patted Catherine on the back "strong. We need that, Catherine," she didn't look up from the hard dirt ground, but she smiled lightly and scoffed. Then the girl, Maggie, walked hesitantly to K. "She okay...? I overheard what you said..." K nodded and smirked. "Yeah... she'll be just fine,".

Rick lead them both into the Prison and introduced them to the rest of the group officially. Catherine clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and stood up straight while her eyes left the ground for the first time. She blushed shyly thinking that they all looked down on her as a thief, but they greeted her with a smile and what felt like a whole new beginning. She felt happy for a split second being surrounded by Rick's willing group. She quickly felt her small smile turn back into her usual serious frown.

She and K were settled into their cell which was where they would be staying for God knows how long. She used a small blue rag to wipe down her crossbow as she hummed an old song she loved before the apocalypse. K smiled "ya remember when you would sing every night at the campfire?" Catherine smirked. "Yeah... your guitar 'broke' though," she laughed, remembering how a walker snuck up behind him and he smashed it over its head. "Someone say guitar?" Glenn peeked into their cell with a quick wave and held up what was assumed to be his own acoustic guitar.

"We could use a little entertainment around here after Hershel lost his leg, if you want to borrow this you can." K took the guitar happily from Glenn. Catherine smirked as she saw K with a guitar again. "I-I guess I could sing again..." Glenn smiled "also, don't be shy to leave your cell, we're all excited to hear what kind of stories you have," Catherine blushed unnoticeably to the others that stood a few feet behind Glenn.

"Damn, ya'll really know how to pressure someone," Catherine threw her crossbow over shoulder and stepped outside her cell. K followed with the guitar "then let's do this," she smirked.


	15. Strive - Chapter 15

Everyone gathered around her and even the few who didn't still stood nearby. She sat up on top of a table "so... You all want stories of what deadly adventures I've been on, eh?" She said almost sarcastically as she rested her head on her hand. "I guess Bigfoot ain't much anymore. Not even the Chupacabra, eh?" She chuckled as K rolled his eyes with a smile. "Well, I do recall getting my first gun, that rifle in our cell, when I was almost killed by a large beast unlike any other." She smirks as people really start listening.

"The creature's fur was black as charcoal and it's teeth were white as snow. It was as large as a bear and the horns that stretched from the back of its head were sharp like a newly forged sword," Daryl had taken interest as he had flicked his cigarette to the floor. "Its eyes were unforgettable... solid red and glowing," She lifted her shirt up to reveal a large scar that stretched from her hip to her shoulder. "Those horns were just as sharp as I described 'em," she drops her shirt back down as people gasp at the huge injury that were to stay there for God knows how long.

"After I was cut and stabbed the beast showed no more interest, it only wanted to see blood and pain...," she sighs and reaches for her back pocket. "I was out with no one's knowledge to photograph the surrounding woods of our home...," Catherine takes the small photograph and shows it to the group. It was unimaginable. A perfect clear picture of the beast that scarred her. Its mouth snarled and tongue licking at its lips. "The Ozark Howler," Daryl smirked as he heard the name "thought it sounded familiar," he said. He snuck a glance at the photo and his eyes widened slightly at the clarity.

Catherine tucked the photo back into her pocket and sighed "alright. That's the best I got. Questions?" Carl hopped to the front of them. "Did you have a nickname?" Catherine smiled. "Yeah, I did actually. People around town called me the Opportunity. I guess it was kind of like a uh, praise, ya know? I had another friend not too long ago that me and K ran into for a bit, he liked to joke around and call me "Little Brother" on account that that's who I reminded him of." She leaned forward and rested one arm on each leg, letting her hands dangle.

"Yeah, Merle was a crazy one alright," Daryl shot up from his spot on the wall "Who?!" Everyone in the group suddenly had a grave look. "Merle, h-he was missing his right hand...?" Catherine flinched and raised her hands slightly in defense as Daryl approached her quickly. He took a few deep breaths and hopped a bit in place "do you know where he is right now?" He was very serious. "Yeah... it shouldn't be too far from here...," K was on edge and keeping a close eye on Daryl and his next actions.

"He's held up at some sanctuary with a guy called 'The Governor',"


End file.
